Martin Wolff

by Evelyn Saphier

Greetings to our family in Bhagavan from Sri Ramanāchala Mandir, in Ogdensburg, NY, a beautiful, simple shrine with pictures from Rita & Jean-Luc; all the manifestation of the devotion of Sri Padmanabhan of Ottawa and created with the help of Dennis and Jim Hartel. Sending to you, Billee, all our love and prayers for peace. You always have a guest room in the Thousand Islands.

Martin was and is the most beautiful soul! What can we say? Thinking of Martin, I hear his voice, again and again, soft, thoughtful, redolent of kindness. Martin's voice spoke volumes of the inner man; A gentle soul. Martin's being was a blessing to the earth, to his family, to his NY ashrama friends and to the larger community of devotees by virtue of his nobility and his unadulterated devotion to Sri Ramana-Arunachala.

Sanskrit, chanting and music were integral to Martin's spiritual path. I personally was so impressed, when having a slip on ice and breaking his veena, Martin declined to replace it, saying that perhaps it had fed his ego; perhaps Bhagavan was asking that he let it go. Such was his inner surrender and his attitude of listening for the voice of Bhagavan.

Martin was also a photographer with an artist's eye. Divinity reveals itself in his photos of the shning faces of the humble people ewhom he had encountered and befriended around the Holy Hill, as well the beauty of the plants and flowers near his home - all Divinity manifest. Of course, Marttin was blessed with the long companionship of his soul mate, Billee - a woman adept in ushering new life into the world in her calling as midwife. I pray that Billee and all her family may be blessed with the unshakeable conviction that our sirits never die. I believe that we are a band of devotees destined to march together to the goal. Some of us may break free earlier than others, but we are basically in this together.

Martin was never a call up and chat friend to me, but this feels to me, so immaterial, as the quality of his devoton and life have so enriched, enobled and uplifted us all on the path. Sri Bhagavan himself said of Chadwick, "He was with us before. How else could he be here now?"

Walking the sacred path around the Holy Hill together. That's us! That's us devotees, all circling the hill; gazing entranced, on its never-ending charm; that unfailingly draws out minds to the center. This is us, devotees all, going inward, ever deeper into the Heart-center wherever we may be, marching on the sacred path of Self-Enquiry guided by the glorious glance of our Bhagavan. How, ever, could we be more blessed!